NANP Nutrition Models Workshop

摘要

The animal sciences are made up of a wide range of processes fromsingle gene inheritance through cellular, organ, whole-animal, herd,farm, system, and economic and social processes. Research over thelast 100 years has given us tremendously detailed insight and massivedata sets on all aspects of food animal production. Nutrition and feeding,including all the interactions with genetics, the environment andreproduction are central to supplying health and efficient animals for ahealthy human population. Although no one or one research group cansimultaneously teach or do research in all these sections, our charge toimprove the security, safety and efficiency of the animal food productsystem dictates that several efforts integrate 2 or even many of thesesystems toward a common end goal. Many government, NGO andprivate companies and organizations now are involved in and in factrequire complex approaches to solving the complex issues of foodproduction. Various research and educational approaches are valid anduseful, but they all make use of sound quantitative biological and statisticalapproaches, including various types of mathematical and statisticalmodeling techniques. The National Animal Nutrition Program and theNational Research Support Program exist to support and encourageexcellence in education and research in Animal Sciences Nutrition andall aspects of the food system that are integrated with that (we don’t feedanimals in a separate system, the inputs into the animals and outputsfrom them are an integral part of the system as a whole. The workshoptoday encompasses a variety of useful concepts and practices that willallow the student or scientist at any stage of their career to more fullyunderstand and use a variety of biological, mathematical, and statisticalapproaches to systems biology research and education. The topics,practices, and information will be useful for anyone starting a career inthe animal sciences or wishing to integrate their existing teaching andresearch into a relevant systems approach to providing a wholesomefood supply.